1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to additives for the enhancement of food products, and in particular, the enhancement or replacement of egg products.
2. Background
Eggs, eaten alone or as an ingredient in many different food products and recipes, are a dietary staple. Eggs are used as thickeners in sauces, puddings and custards, binding agents to hold ingredients together, emulsifiers to stabilize oil in water emulsions, foaming agents to add air cells for lighter, airier products, or as coatings to lock in flavor in fried foods or to brown the surface of baked goods. Eggs also prevent the formation of sugar and the formation of ice crystals, allowing ice creams, sherbets and chocolate to stay smooth.
Although eggs are a relatively low calorie source of protein and have a wide range of vitamins and minerals in proportion to their calorie count, they are known to be high in cholesterol. For example, a 75-calorie whole raw chicken egg (about 59 grams) contains more than 6 grams of protein and about 213-280 mg cholesterol. One of the highest sources of cholesterol is the egg yolk. The table below shows the nutrient breakdown for a typical large raw egg.
TABLE IASSAYED NUTRIENT VALUES FOR A LARGE RAW EGG*Based on 59 g. shell weight with 50 g. total liquid whole egg,33.4 g. white and 16.6 g. yolkNUTRIENT AND UNITWHOLEWHITEYOLKApproximateWater37.6629.338.10Food energy-calories.751759Protein (N × 6.25)-g.6.253.522.78Total lipid-g.5.01—5.12Total carbohydrate-g..61.34.30Ash-g..47.21.29LipidsFatty acids as triglycerides-g.4.327—4.428Saturated-total1.550—1.586 8:0 Caprylic.002—.00210:0 Capric.002—.00212:0 Lauric.002—.00214:0 Myristic.017—.01716:0 Palmitic1.113—1.13918:0 Stearic.392—.40120:0 Arachidic**.020—.020Monounsaturated-total1.905—1.94914:1 Myristoleic**.005—.00516:1 Palmitoleic.149—.15218:1 Oleic1.736—1.77620:1 Eicosenoic.014—.01422:1 Erucic.002—.002Polyunsaturated-total.682—.69818:2 Linoleic.574—.58718:3 Linolenic.017—.01720:4 Arachidonic.071—.07320:5 Eicosapentaeonic.002—.00222:6 Docosahexaenoic.018—.019Cholesterol-mg.213—213Lecithin-g.**1.15—1.11Caphalin-g.**.23—.219VitaminsA-IU317—323D-IU**24.5—24.5E-mg..70—.70B12-mcg..50.07.52Biotin-mcg.**9.982.347.58Choline-mg.**215.06.42215.97Folic Acid (Folacin)-mcg23124Inositol-mg.**5.391.383.95Niacin-mg (B3).037.031.002Pantothenic acid-mg.627.04.632Pyridoxine (B6)-mg..070.001.065Riboflavin (B2)-mg..254.151.106Thiamine (B1)-mg..031.002.028Minerals-mg.Calcium25223Chlorine**87.160.027.1Copper.007.002.004Iodine**.024.001.022Iron.72.01.59Magnesium541Manganese.012.001.012Phosphorus89481Potassium604816Sodium63557Sulfur*825625Zinc.55—.52Amino Acids-g.Alanine.348.203.143Arginine.375.191.199Aspartic acid.628.358.272Cystine.145.091.050Glutamic acid.816.467.353Glycine.210.123.086Histidine.148.079.072Isoleucine.341.199.141Leucine.534.296.244Lysine.449.239.221Methionine.195.121.069Phenylalanine.332.205.119Proline.249.137.116Serine.465.242.238Threonine.300.160.148Tryptophan.076.043.033Tyrosine.255.137.124Valine.381.224.155*As reported in the 1989 Supplement-Agriculture Handbook No. 8, Human Nutrition Information Service, USDA.**As reported in 1979 Poultry Science, vol. 58: 131-134.
With the ever increasing number of people with coronary artery disease in the United States and other developed industrial nations, health care professionals have for a long time advocated diets low in fat and cholesterol content.
The food industry has responded to the need to reduce fat and cholesterol by developing liquid and dry egg substitutes and egg yolk replacements. Several commercial brands are available. At the same time, the diet industry is promoting diets high in protein and low in carbohydrates for weight loss. In 1999, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that incorporating soy protein into the daily diet helps to fight heart disease, the number one cause of death in the United States. FDA recommends that adults incorporate four servings of at least 6.25 grams of soy protein into their daily diets, a total of at least 25 grams. According to the FDA standards, consuming 25 grams of soy protein each day, coupled with a diet low in cholesterol and fats, may reduce heart disease.
Still other health care professionals advocate diets high in fiber. In the United States, people consume only about half of the recommended daily amount of dietary fiber, about 25-35 grams.
Finding foods that can satisfy all of these guidelines—low fat and cholesterol content, and high protein and high dietary fiber content—is difficult.